Tokyo Blues
by the-ronster-monster
Summary: AU in which Takano and Onodera are detectives at a Tokyo police station. Will they leave things at an uneasy partnership? Or will their relationship take a more intimate turn? This is my first story for Sekaiichi Hatsukoi!
1. Chapter 1

The annoying electronic tone of his alarm clock roused Onodera Ritsu out of his peaceful slumber. He begrudgingly dragged himself out of bed and slammed the 'off' button. Today was Ritsu's first day at his new job, and for all intents and purposes, he should've been excited, and he would've been, except for the dream he'd just awoke dream was haunting, and unfortunately recurring.

 _Ritsu was a kid again, fifteen years old. His father, the chief of police at the station, had insisted that Ritsu show up to the most recent reported crime scene. After all, if he was to become a cop like his father before him and his father before him and so forth, then there was no time like the present for the young lad to increase his familiarity with the policing process and see his first real crime scene. Ritsu had seen crime scene photos of robberies, vandalism, and the like for as long as he'd been alive. Imagine the shock, a fifteen year old boy, believing he'd be seeing the aftermath of a simple breaking and entering, and instead seeing the victim of a homicide. A man lay face down on the floor of a living room, limbs askew and several bullet holes decorated his back. The picture window at the front of the room was shattered and glass littered the scene. "Ritsu, would you like to watch Officer Kanayama interview the witness?" Chief Onodera asked, smiling at his son. Ritsu turned his gaze from the victim to the witness. The witness was a boy not much older than himself, with dark hair and rumpled clothing. Ritsu had seen him around school. His eyes were intense and appeared to see right through Ritsu. Ritsu looked from the prostrate victim to the piercing eyes of the witness, spun on his heels, ran out the door, and promptly threw up his dinner in the bushes outside._ This event is likely what shaped Ritsu into the jaded and pessimistic adult he is in the present day. Ten years had passed, and yet Ritsu could still feel the other boy's eyes piercing the back of his head as he ran away. But whenever Ritsu woke up from this dream, he found himself unable to even remember the other boy's face. And that left him bothered and perplexed.

But presently, Ritsu was busy rubbing his temples, trying to force those memories out of his conscious and into the recesses of his mind. He'd learned all too well he couldn't get rid of them entirely. He'd spent the last ten years of his life trying to forget that trauma. Ritsu dressed in his suit and tie, made his coffee and poured it into a travel mug, then hopped on the train to go to work.

"Hello, my name is Onoderra Ritsu, I'm the new junior detective." Ritsu smiled politely at the secretary. The secretary smiled and bowed. "The new junior detective? Your desk is down the hall, on the right hand side. Please tell Head Detective Takano-san that you've arrived." The secretary resumed her work and Ritsu headed down the hallway. He approached the desk of an official looking man with mountains of paperwork on his man was tall, Ritsu noticed, even when he was sitting down. He had messy, dark hair, black rimmed glasses, and even a black shirt. His whole presence was dark and intimidating. The man pushed his glasses further up his nose and sighed in frustration. Ritsu was about to speak when he noticed he man was on the phone. "Look", the man boomed into the telephone."I don't give a damn that it wasn't on purpose! You almost contaminated key evidence! Do you understand that? If you're ever so careless again, I will not hesitate to. Kick. Your. Ass." The man slammed the phone down then turned to a bewildered and intimidated Ritsu. "Can I help you?" The man asked with an unreadable stoicness. "Um… Head Detective Takano-san?" Ritsu asked. "Shitsure am. I take my coffee black, thank you." The detective turned away from Ritsu. "Sir", Ritsu said, his annoyance almost palpable. "My name is Onodera Ritsu, I'm the new junior detective… and your new partner." The detective turned back to face Ritsu. He got up from his swivel chair and extended his hand to his junior. "Takano Masamune. I was told someone like you would be coming today. It'll be a pleasure working with you, if you know how to do your job, that is." Ritsu shook his partner's hand and began settling into the empty desk right next to the head detective's. "I can assure you that I know how to do my job, and do it well." Takano raised an eyebrow and laughed. "I do hope so, Onodera, because I have no time for weak links." Ritsu chose to ignore this comment. _I can already tell I'm going to hate this guy_ , Ritsu thought to himself. He began filling out paperwork on his desk and making sure all his equipment was in order. _I'll stay for maybe...two weeks. And when I can't take any more of this job, I'll see if I can crawl back to my old station-_ "Hey, rookie." Ritsu flinched. "Today's your lucky day. There's been an incident at a restaurant downtown. Let's go." Takano adjusted his glasses and grabbed his keys off his desk. The two detectives raced to the parking lot. They jumped into Takano's car, and Takano slammed the siren onto the roof of his car and began driving to the crime in progress.

The high speed at which Takano was driving made Ritsu grab the handle attached to the interior of the roof in the car. Takano glanced over at Ritsu and chuckled. "You should be watching the road", Ritsu mumbled. The feeling of his superior's eyes on him made his cheeks flush inexplicably. Takano changed the subject by further briefing Ritsu on the attempted murder/assault in the restaurant kitchen. Ritsu nodded and appeared to take mental notes. This made Takano smile, just a little. "I can't help this feeling that I know you from somewhere. Can't say where, though." Ritsu looked over, wide-eyed, his hand still white-knuckling the interior handle. "We work in the same field, it's entirely possible we met at a function of some sort." Takano returned his gaze to the road. "I don't feel like that's it." A long, uncomfortable silence followed. After several agonizing moments, Ritsu asked, "It's that Italian restaurant coming up, right?". Takano nodded, "Good eye." And with that, Takano pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "...I don't see any squad cars here. We don't have any back up. Is that standard procedure at this station?" Ritsu reflected. Takano replied, "We beat the uniforms here. Most of them are tied up at that convention on the edge of the city. Looks like we're gonna handle this one ourselves, rookie." Takano loaded up his gun, turned off the safety, and put it in his holster. Ritsu nervously followed suit. "I'll cover you, let's go." Ritsu nodded and they headed in.

The screaming from the kitchen was almost deafening as they approached, and naturally, the seating area was deserted. The scene in the kitchen was bizarre. The waitstaff and kitchen staff were huddled in the corner, wide-eyed. In the center of the kitchen, the head chef held a knife to the throat of his assistant chef. "I'm going to cut you if you don't take that back! My baked five-cheese ravioli is not dry and tasteless!". The assistant chef whimpered."I refuse to take it back! I'm a much better chef than you could ever be." Both chefs froze when they noticed the detectives standing in the doorway. "Police! Drop your weapon and release your hostage!", Takano barked. "Not until he admits my food is superior!". Ritsu slowly approached the chefs, his hands up in the classic ' don't attack me please ' position. "Uh, hi, I like your cooking", Ritsu began. It was at this moment the uniformed officers arrived, and Takano motioned for them to be silent. "Really? You do?" This made the chef move the knife away from the other man's throat, but just a few centimeters. "Oh, sure I do, I was here just last week with my fiancee. We loved it. The lighting, the ambiance, the ravioli, everything." Ritsu came closer, less than five feet away from the knife-wielding maniac. The chef was smiling now, and the whole room was in stunned silence. "Really? You loved my ravioli?".The chef now lowered the knife to his side and was full on beaming. Ritsu slowly stepped forward, he was now about two and a half feet away. "Loved it, really, maybe you could cater our wedding?" Ritsu was sweating and flushed. The assistant chef seized the opportunity to make a hasty getaway. This made the head chef spin around in surprise. Ritsu leaped onto the the chef's back and wrestled the knife from his grasp. When the back-up police behind Takano attempted to storm the kitchen, Takano yelled "Stay back!" Ritsu snatched the knife out of the chef's hand and slid it across the floor, the knife coming to a stop under the stove. Ritsu slapped the handcuffs on the chef, got off his back, then helped the assailant to his feet. Ritsu breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his brow. The whole situation couldn't have been more than an hour, but it felt like it went on for motioned for the uniforms to proceed. "Book him, and bring the witnesses to the station for questioning." Takano gestured to an officer with a walkie talkie. "And bring Kisa and the evidence guys here to get the knife. _And get the damn crime scene photographer_!" Takano added, with bite to his voice. The officer scurried away to attend to Takano's demands. Ritsu noticed that Takano was sweating almost as badly as he was. "You could've gotten yourself killed, you dumbass! Or worse, a civilian!" Takano gave an exasperated sigh and smacked Ritsu on the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper from his back pocket. Ritsu rubbed the site of impact and grumbled under his breath.

Ritsu and Takano headed back to Takano's car. Once seated inside, Ritsu turned to Takano, his face still flushed from the whole ordeal. "You know, if we're going to be partners, we have to have mutual trust or we're not going to accomplish anything." Takano turned his attention to the road and began driving like a normal person instead of a speed demon, which gave Ritsu a chance to relax. "You got a point there, rookie, okay, let's say I trust you. Do you trust me?" Takano asked. After a bit of a pause, Ritsu said, "Well, you haven't given me any reason not to. So far." Takano suppressed a smile.

The rest of the day progressed uneventfully, made up of nothing more than the monotonous work of mountains of paperwork and the interviewing of witnesses. And of course, rivers of coffee to fight the ever-present urge to take a nap. Towards the end of his work day, Ritsu was resting his head on his desk when he felt an arm grab him by the shoulder and drag him off to a private corner. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Ritsu asked, forcing his captor to turn around face him. His "captor" was a young man, with black hair parted down the middle, and he was dressed in a lab coat and jeans."Listen, newbie, I gotta tell you what you're getting into here", the acoster whispered. Ritsu sighed.

"My name is not newbie, I'm Onodera Ritsu, junior detective, and I don't-"

"Nice to meet you, Rittie. I'm Kisa Shouta, forensics, and I gotta warn you about your new partner."

Ritsu laughed nervously. "What's there to worry about?"

"Takano-san, he's got a reputation."

"...reputation?"

"Yeah, reputation. If I had 100 yen for everyone from beat cop to _junior detective_ who Takano-san broke down, I'd have enough money to leave this shit job and retire."

"Wait, retire, aren't you like, younger than me?"

"First of all, I'm thirty, second of all, that's not the part you should take issue with! Takano-san _will_ break you if you don't keep up."

Ritsu shifted uneasily."Is this guy for real?"

Kisa nodded. "Oh yeah, but he's not all bad, you know. He's only twenty-seven, but he's managed to become the youngest head detective in this station's history, and he's really cleaned up this city while he's been here. It's impressive, really."

"Yeah, that is impressive, I think-"

"If you have time to gossip, you have time to work, now get to it!", a voice boomed behind Ritsu and Kisa. Ritsu was automatically reminded of the consequences of pissing off Takano when he felt the familiar sting of a newspaper whacked against his head. Kisa ran right back to forensics to save his own hide.

Ritsu tapped the watch on his wrist. "My shift is over, I'm on my time now." Takano raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. Mine's over too, wanna go drinking?" Ritsu tried not to audibly scoff. "Thank you, but I really don't think I can." Takano put his hand on Ritsu's shoulder, which made him blush, much to his own chagrin and confusion. "Mutual trust, remember?" Takano said, with a faint smile. And in that moment, Ritsu could not remember a time in his life where he'd regretted saying something so badly.


	2. Chapter 2

_(( Hi, Ronnie, your humble author here! Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter of Tokyo Blues! This is the third fanfiction I've ever written, and the first for Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. I really appreciate all the feedback. Thank you for reading my story! ))_

The two detectives clinked their beer bottles together in a celebratory toast. The bar was filled with the murmur of its patrons in various stages of inebriation and the tinkling of glasses and bottles. The lighting was soft and left everything mostly in shadow. Takano took off his glasses, folded them, and placed them on the table. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I know the case is closed now, but I'm still thinking about it. I think that was the easiest solution to a hostage situation I've seen in my career. I mean, you _flattered_ the guy out of stabbing someone." Ritsu took a swig of his beer. "I've been thinking about that too, it was almost...easy?" Takano shook his head, "Damn near nothing in our line of work is." Ritsu frowned into his beer. "I'm not a good liar, never have been. Beats me how I did that back there." Takano gave a derisive snort. "You were almost believable in that restaurant. _Almost_. I don't know whether that chef was the most gullible person on the planet, or if you seriously underestimate your lying abilities." Ritsu smirked. _Was that_ _almost_ _a compliment?_ There was no talking between them for several minutes, and both men used this as an opportunity to down more beer. Ritsu was about to open his second beer. "However", Takano began, "every lie is based on a truth. And in this case, I'm willing to bet the only truth in your story is that last week you went out to dinner with your fiancee." Ritsu flinched. "Uh, yes, actually."

"And the way I see it, there are two weird things about it."

Ritsu eyed Takano warily. "And they are what, exactly?"

"First of all, you didn't mention her by name. I thought that was weird, because usually when a guy's in love he never shuts up about the person he loves. It's always ' _So-and-so said this_ ', or ' _So-and-so said that'._ " Takano scoffed, which made Ritsu raise an eyebrow.

"And what else?"

" Well, it's been my experience that when a police officer gets engaged, usually they either switch to a less dangerous line of work, or they take some time off until their personal life quiets down. And you haven't done either." Takano finished his first beer and opened up a second.

"Is that what happened to your last partner?" Ritsu asked, trying his best at nonchalance.

"No, she transferred, couldn't take the heat."

Ritsu choked on his drink and pounded his chest, attempting not to spray beer all over his partner. That hit too close to home. In a way he did not want to think of at the time.

"But don't try to change the subject. What gives with you and your fiancee, though, Onodera?"

"I can hardly see why my personal life would interest you. But, uh, it's an arranged kind of thing. It was put together by our parents when we were kids. My dad said that because of the family name and whatever, they had to ensure that whoever I marry is _respectable_. I don't love her. I turned her down in high school when she confessed. If anything, she's like a sister to me. She doesn't get that, though, I guess." Ritsu chugged his second beer, opened a third, and gulped down about half of that. He was now past tipsy, heading into drunk territory, and the room was starting to spin. "I don' feel so good. I think I wanna go home." Ritsu rubbed his pounding head. "Fine, I'll drive you, where do you live?" Takano put a hand concerningly on Ritsu's forearm. The recipient of this attention flushed and practically leaped off the bar stool, knowing that one reason for his rosy cheeks was the alcohol in his system, and knowing the other reason was the touch of his partner. And the latter reason worried him. "I can... I can go home myself. The last train hasn't run yet…" Ritsu began fumbling with his wallet. Takano glanced up at him from his seated position, bemused. "My treat." Ritsu bowed. "Th-thank you, Takano-san", he mumbled, stuffing his wallet back in his pants and hurrying to the train station.

While on the train, Ritsu had a lot of time to think. _Why did I blush when Takano-san touched me in the bar? And earlier, in the car, why did I blush when he looked at me? What's with all this blushing?! My first day on the job, and every damn minute I'm blushing! What am I, a grown-ass man or some starry-eyed maiden in a shoujo manga?! I need to get my shit together if I'm ever going to prove what a capable police officer I am, and show those naysayers at my old station what I can do. And then, I'll-_ At that moment, the train lurched, derailing Ritsu's train of thought and making his stomach drop. "We apologize for the sudden movements of this train. Please stay seated if possible.", said an automated woman's voice over the train's speaker. The train car was nearly deserted, so it was certainly possible for everyone to stay seated. Who in their right mind would be using public transportation so late at night? But Ritsu was not in his right mind, he was drunk, in addition to being stubborn, proud, and confused. And old man shouted, "Next time, warn us _before_ we're gonna be thrown outta our seats!", as if the automated woman could respond and hold a conversation with him through the intercom. Ritsu sighed and silently prayed that he would not black out until after he was in the safety of his own apartment. As luck would have it, his stop was next. Ritsu stumbled out of the train car and turned up the color on his coat against the cold, autumn air. He staggered through the seven-minute walk home, and made it into apartment 1202 mostly conscious. Some benevolent force must've heard Ritsu's prayers, he thought, as he collapsed mercifully on his couch. Then he passed out.

Ritsu awoke in the wee hours of the morning and surveyed his surroundings, eyes straining to see in his dark apartment. He got off the couch and managed to make his way to his bedroom, double checked that his alarm was set, then snuggled under the covers to savor his four more, gracious, precious hours of sleep.

Ritsu's alarm clock was slammed off just as harshly on his second day at the new station as it had been on the day before. He was hungover and in no mood for his alarm clock's incessant beeping. Ritsu took a long hot shower and two aspirin to get ready for the day. He got dressed and made a quick breakfast of toast. He stuffed the toast half in his mouth, took his travel mug of coffee in one hand, and his satchel in the other. Upon exiting his apartment, he was surely a sight, juggling his mug and satchel in a mad scramble to lock his apartment door. Ritsu wasted no time getting to work, his long shower having costed him precious minutes. _Look at me, running to catch the train with toast in my mouth. I really am turning out to be some shoujo manga heroine._

Ritsu trudged into work and flopped on his swivel chair. "Don't you greet your superiors, Onodera?" Takano admonished. Ritsu put on his best fake smile. "Good morning, Takano-san." Ritsu did not look up from the work on his desk. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ritsu ignored that comment. Ritsu did not know what he disliked more about his new partner, his patronizing comments or his constant, unreadable stoicness. "I know something that _was_ hard for you last night, though, Onodera." Ritsu faced Takano with a start. " _What?_ " Takano chuckled to himself.

"I was referring to you remembering to keep all your equipment on you."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Ritsu internally cursed himself for reddening.

"Well, Detective Dumbass, you left _these_ at the bar last night." Takano produced a pair of handcuffs from his pants pocket.

"Thank you, I'll just-"

Takano cut Ritsu off. "These handcuffs are awfully important, you know. You'll get a lot of use out of them."

Ritsu snatched his handcuffs back and dropped them unceremoniously on his own desk. This work day would not end soon enough.

One supposes you could say that the week took an interesting turn in the fact that it _didn't_. Junior Detective Onodera Ritsu had anticipated his first week to be full of jewel thieves and art heists and at least a murder in one of the three degrees. But besides the foiled assault in a classy eatery, the cases coming in were all too low-profile to warrant the attention of a detective. A carjacking here, a mugging there, and naturally, plenty of shoplifters, as it was slowly turning into November, and some people wanted to get holiday gifts for their friends and loved ones early. And illegally. So Ritsu did what he could at work. Paperwork, reviewing codes and bylaws, occasional trips to the shooting range, and conversations with Kisa from forensics. Ritsu approached Kisa one day, not long after Kisa had essentially kidnapped Ritsu from his desk, with the intent of receiving advice on the internal workings of the station. Kisa obligingly used this as an opportunity to inform newbie Ritsu of all the latest gossip. Who was having sex with who, who ate who's labeled lunch from the break room fridge, who let their own hair get in an evidence bag, et cetera. Ritsu might not have understood the joys of gossip, but he understood how nice it could be to have a friend at work. That was not a luxury he was afforded at his previous precinct.

Ritsu had enough time on his hands that he was even able to pick up a few books at the library near his apartment building at the end of his first week. And he even had enough time to really _read_ the books he chose and enjoy them, and not just stare blankly at the pages until his eyes glazed over and he could feel himself drifting off to sleep. He read through three hardcover novels that weekend. It'd been awhile since Ritsu had been able to pleasure read, and he savored every sentence of those novels. One night, in the first half of his second week at the new precinct, Ritsu returned home and put his gun, badge, and other police accoutrements on his nightstand. He placed the novels gingerly into a backpack and headed for the library.

The night air was freezing. Ritsu turned up the collar on his coat and stifled a shiver. It was well into autumn, and the cold rain a few hours prior didn't help with the chill in the air. The air still smelled faintly of rain, and wet leaves littered the sidewalk. A row of streetlights lit the backroad, but they did little to aid the blackness of this isolated area. Ritsu usually would've enjoyed traveling this road, the fact that no one was around let him clear his head. But something felt off tonight. Something he could not put his finger on. His heart was beating so loudly, he couldn't hear anything else. He started walking faster.

Ritsu was nearing the library. A fifteen minute walk had never felt so long in his life. The feeling that something was amiss was growing stronger. His heart quieted down enough that he was able to detect a faint sound. _Footsteps._ He instinctively put his hand to where his holster would normally sit. _Shit, my sidearm's on the nightstand._ Ritsu had a realization. He was an adult. And a trained police officer. _And_ prone to obstinate behavior. So when his subconscious recommended that he run as if fleeing a burning firework factory, Ritsu opted to stop dead in his tracks. Ritsu now stood at the base of the steps to the library. He turned his head ever so slightly to the side, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man mere feet behind him. Ritsu recognized him almost instantly, even in the dim light. Ritsu raised his voice just above normal speaking tone. "You…"


	3. Chapter 3

"You... Must really suck at tailing suspects. I could hear you the whole time." Ritsu smiled in spite of himself and turned to face Takano directly. "Ritsu? Funny running into you here. And for the record, I wasn't tailing you. Can't a guy go to the library?" Takano cut in front of Ritsu and started up the library steps. Ritsu began scurrying up the steps right after him. "You expect me to believe that you go to this same out-of-the-way library?" Ritsu was now at about the same step as Takano, matching him stride for stride. "They have books I can't seem to find anywhere else. Besides, my apartment is a short walk from here. That's it over there." Takano pointed to an apartment building in the distance. Ritsu's apartment building. They arrived at the top of the stairs and deposited their books in the book drop. "Funny, I live there too." Ritsu was beet red. The odds were not on his side as of late. He started down the stairs rapidly, getting in front of Takano. _This_ _is no good. My heart beats so fast whenever he looks at me. It's bad enough that I have to see him all day, but we live in the same building too? I can't believe it._ Ritsu was so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot about the slippery steps he was descending. He lost his footing near the bottom of the stairs, but a hand caught him by the wrist. Ritsu still took a tumble, taking himself and the owner of the hand down a couple of the cement steps. Takano had landed essentially directly on top of Ritsu, and propped himself up on his hands so he wouldn't crush the man beneath him. The two men stared at each other, breathing slightly labored by the shock of their tumble. They watched each other for a moment more, and neither said anything. Takano quickly stood up and brushed off his clothes, then extended a hand to help Ritsu up. Ritsu took his hand somewhat awkwardly and stood up. Ritsu went to brush the wet leaves off his pants, but when his hand returned, it was blood smeared. "Oh", Ritsu said quietly. Takano's eyes widened. "Come back to my apartment with me. I have first aid stuff." Ritsu laughed nervously. "It's nothing, really, and I don't want to inconvenience-"

Takano cut him off. "It's no inconvenience if we live in the same damn building."

Ritsu shut up at that remark. Resistance would be futile.

The two stood in awkward silence in the elevator. "What floor?" Ritsu asked, pointing to the buttons on the wall of the elevator. "Twelfth." Takano said, and leaned over Ritsu to push the button himself. "That's funny... me too." Ritsu managed. He opted to stare at his shoes for the remainder of the elevator ride.

"Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I gotta go get the first aid kit." Takano turned and left Ritsu alone on the couch. He returned a minute or so later with the first aid kit, and kneeled on the floor in front of Ritsu. Despite a string of protests from the recipient of his attentions, Takano slowly rolled up Ritsu's pant leg to expose his injured knee. "Yeah, you sure skinned your knee pretty good." Takano squirted disinfectant on Ritsu's scrape, and the sharp, stinging sensation made Ritsu bite his lip and hiss in discomfort. "Don't be a baby", Takano smirked. _I hate his smug face._ Ritsu sucked up whatever was left of his pride and let Takano attend to his wound. Takano put a band aid on the scrape then rolled Ritsu's pant leg back down. Takano stood up and headed for his kitchenette. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" Ritsu was about to stand up, "Thank you, but I think I'd better get going." Takano turned on his heel so he could face Ritsu. "Before you go, you should know something. I read your file." Takano sat down next to Ritsu on the couch.

Ritsu was indignant. "That's confidential information!"

Takano leaned back into the couch, closed his eyes, and folded his arms behind his head. "Perhaps. But it was impressive, Onodera. Top of your class at the academy, aced the detective's exam on your first try. You've got a promising career in front of you. If you don't fuck up majorly."

Ritsu scoffed. "That sounded almost like praise."

"I'm not gonna say that you're the next super-cop, but you have a lot of potential. And it'd be a damn shame if it went to waste."

A pink blush dusted Ritsu's cheeks. "Well... Thank you, Takano-san."

"Don't take this the wrong way, though, but you seem a little soft to be a cop. What made you decide this is the line of work for you?"

Ritsu shifted uneasily. "I come from a long line of cops. I never really thought I'd want to be anything else. But besides that, I really feel that most people out there are good at heart and I want to do my part to make sure that justice is done, and to make the world a little safer." He smiled a little.

"Your optimism is refreshing, although unrealistic."

Ritsu frowned. "Oh, then what made _you_ want to be a police officer, Takano-san?"

Takano opened his eyes and turned to face Ritsu. "My old man got himself murdered back in the day. I realized that most people are shit and I might as well try to stop them from fucking up other people's lives."

Ritsu looked downward. "I'm very sorry."

Takano laughed derisively. "What are you apologizing for? You didn't kill him."

"Still... That must've been horrible."

"Sure, it was no picnic, but it was in the past, and I don't live there anymore."

Ritsu attempted to study Takano's face, to decode whatever emotions lay just under the surface. But Takano's expression was unreadable. So the two stared at each other in silence for a minute. It was then that Ritsu felt the unmistakable feeling of a hand on his knee. He was certain his heart was beating loud enough for the whole building to hear. "I have to go." Ritsu said in a voice barely audible. He sprung up from the couch and hurried back to the safety of his own apartment.

 _That was a close one._ Ritsu stopped in the genkan to catch his breath. _I'm a grown-ass man. It's frustrating enough that I have a crush on a guy, but why'd it have to be him?_ Ritsu double-checked that his alarm was set before slipping on his pajamas. He balled up his clothes and chucked them into a far corner of the room, he'd deal with them later. He crawled under the covers and waited for that merciful ocean of sleep to wash over him. But wash over him it would not. It was the early hours of the morning and Ritsu was still tossing and turning and his mind refused to quiet. All he could think of was the feeling of Takano's hand on his knee and the racing of his heart. It was torture. The night wore on and Ritsu arrived at the state of tired where it feels like there are ten pound weights attached to your eyelids. Eventually, sleep found him and he drifted off quickly to brief, blissful slumber.

Lately, events had not been progressing in Ritsu's favor. First, he had the stress of a new job. Then, he had the stress of having a difficult partner to work with. _Then_ he had to get a silly schoolgirl crush on his partner. But the icing on the cake was that he had gotten only three hours of sleep that night, _and_ he had once again been treated to the dream where he relived his first crime scene. Again, although he could never remember the boy in the dream's face, he could feel something inside him tugging on his chest, a feeling almost akin to an underwater swimmer running out of oxygen. It was perplexing. _This is the sort of thing you talk to a psychiatrist about, isn't it? But then again, I don't exactly think I could open up to a total stranger._

So Ritsu trudged into work and mumbled greetings to his coworkers. He flopped at his desk and stared blankly into the distance. He was in no mood to do anything today, much less his job. As if on cue, Kisa burst into the room, humming some unidentifiable tune. He held a coffee cup in each hand, and placed one on Ritsu's desk. "Special delivery, Ricchan~", Kisa sang out. He squatted next to Ritsu's desk. "Hey, Ricchan. To celebrate you working here for a month, how about you, me and drinks toniiiiight?" Kisa said in a whisper. "Sure, sounds like a plan", Ritsu replied at regular volume. A ruler was hurled expertly in their direction. Kisa managed to avoid it, but Ritsu was not as fortunate, and it struck him in the head. "If you have time to socialize like ladies at a hair salon, then you have time to work, now GET TO IT!" Takano yelled. Kisa sprinted back to the morgue, his white lab coat fluttering behind him. Ritsu sheepishly returned to his work, but now he was smiling, if only a little. _A friend can make a job like this a lot more bearable._ Ritsu sipped on the coffee and grimaced. The coffee at the station tasted like battery acid, but it was better than nothing. Ritsu tried his best to stay conscious, but he still went through the day in a sort of stupor.

Eventually, the end of the day arrived and Ritsu was free to hang out with Kisa. They took the train to Kisa's apartment and arrived around eight-thirty. "So, Kisa-san, do you mind me asking why you wanted to hang out tonight?" Kisa laughed and handed Ritsu a beer. They had gotten to be good friends in the time Ritsu had worked at the precinct, and they texted frequently, but this was the first time they saw each other outside of work. "Well the answer to that is easy, Ricchan! Don't you know that its been a whole month since you've been working at the station?" Ritsu's eyes widened. _Has it been a month already?_ "So, naturally I felt we should celebrate." Kisa continued, and opened a beer for himself. "Here's to you, Ricchan." Kisa smiled, and they clinked their beer bottles together.

The night wore on, and the two men went through many beers. Needless to say, they were pretty damn drunk. "Kiiiisaaaa-saaaannnn, we're good friends, riiiiiiight? So I can tell you anything, riiiight?" Ritsu said, lying on his back on Kisa's floor. "Yeah, man, you can tell me...anything." Kisa rubbed his temples and thought to himself, _I am getting too old for this shit._

"So, like, Kisa-san, what would you saaaay, if I said I was a little gay for Takanooooo-san?"

Kisa chortled and smacked the table. "I _kneeeeew_ it! I knew it! Go for it! Get that dick, Ricchan! Make me proud!"

Ritsu laughed nervously and instantly regretted what he had said.

Kisa grinned devilishly. "Wanna know who I have a crush on?"

Ritsu snorted. "Its that crime scene photographer, right? The pretty sparkly one? What's his name agaaaaaaain? Yukinaaa?"

Kisa's heart stopped in his chest. "How'd you know?"

Ritsu giggled. "You're always making goo-goo eyes at him."

Kisa stared off dreamily into the distance. _I am, aren't I?_ , he thought to himself.

One o'clock in the morning was fast approaching. Kisa awoke from a brief nap to find Ritsu passed out, face down on the floor. Kisa rolled him over to make sure that he was still breathing. Kisa had sobered up marginally during his nap, although he was still pretty out of it. _I better text someone to come get him. But who has a car… Oh yeah, Takano!_ Kisa took a photo of Ritsu lying on the floor, his face down and his behind up in the air. Kisa sent it to Takano with the caption, "can u come an pikc this up?", along with his own address. After a couple minutes, Takano replied, "On my way."

(( So here you have it, guys! Chapter 3 of Tokyo Blues! Sorry about the long wait. First it was visiting relatives, then I was off at overnight camp for three weeks. And currently, the darling procrastinator that is yours truly is trapped under a mountain of summer English and Spanish work to complete as well as a whole bunch of chores. But don't worry, guys! I'm gonna try to get more regular updates!

Toodles!

3 Ronnie, your humble author ))


	4. Chapter 4

(( Hey folks! Ronnie, your humble author here! I was up to my ears in summer work, but now that I've started school again, I have some resemblance of a regular schedule, so I can keep making regular updates for you guys. The reviews you guys leave are a huge inspiration for me to keep working on this story, so thanks a lot! ))

Masamune pulled into the parking lot of Kisa's apartment building. He double checked the address from the text message before heading inside. _Onodera sure finds himself in a lot of sticky situations, doesn't he?,_ Masamune thought to himself while waiting in the elevator. Kisa lived at one of the top floors of the building, so it took time for the elevator to reach the right floor. He knocked on the door loudly. "Open up, Kisa!" Masamune clearly did not care that it was now past one in the morning and many of this building's residents were asleep. A very obviously still intoxicated Kisa opened the door wide. "Heeeeey, Takano! My buddy, my pal, my chum! How's it goin'?" Masamune marched straight past Kisa into the living room, where Ritsu still lay down face first, ass up in the air, on the carpet. "Y'know, me and Ricchan were just talkin' about ya? You wouldn't _believe_ what he told me about you!" Kisa chortled and plopped down on his couch. "I wouldn't, huh?" Masamune smiled lightly and scooped up Ritsu like a sack of potatoes. _Damn, he was deceptively heavy._ Without so much as a goodbye to Kisa, Masamune carted Ritsu off to the elevator. He glanced over at his cargo, sleeping blissfully and smiling. _He's kinda cute when he's asleep. A lot less annoying, too._ Masamune's arms gave out in time for him to buckle Ritsu into the passenger seat of his car. "This idiot smiles in his sleep." Masamune mumbled. He pulled out of the parking space and headed home.

Ritsu was fast asleep and showed no signs of stirring. Masamune was tempted to wake him and make him walk into the building on his own. But Masamune felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, and decided to just carry him in. He half-carried, half-dragged Ritsu into his own apartment. He considered dropping Ritsu into 1202, Ritsu's apartment, but he felt that'd be something like invasion of privacy, especially with how he would have to fish in Ritsu's pocket to find his keys. So Masamune hung up Ritsu's coat, and left his shoes by the doorway. He dropped Ritsu onto the couch. He was still sleeping. _Damn. A freight train could run through his bedroom and the guy wouldn't wake up._ _I can't just leave him here, though. The heat doesn't work as well in here and I don't want the poor bastard to freeze to death. Oh well. I guess it can't be helped._ So Masamune scooped up Ritsu again, and he carried him to the bedroom. He put Ritsu on the bed and pulled the blanket up over him. _Damn this guy. I always sleep in the nude, but 'cause I have company I gotta sleep in actual pajamas._ Masamune went to his bureau and started undressing. He swore he heard Ritsu shifting in the bed behind him. He put on his pajamas and crawled into bed. Masamune stole a look at the sleeping man next to him. _Onodera looks so cute when he's asleep. ...Should I? What's the harm, eh?_ Masamune brushed Ritsu's hair off his face and gave him a peck on the forehead. He watched him for a moment. _I know that I know him from somewhere...but where?_ He drifted off into a deep slumber.

Masamune had the most intense dream that night. The dream was recurring yet infrequent, usually, but in the past month he was having it with increasing wasn't any ordinary dream. Oh, no. He had to relive the night of his father's murder. _It was a weeknight and Masamune hadn't been home for very long. He chose to spend the evening reading in his room instead of dealing with his parents who were bickering loudly downstairs. He heard a door slam and then total silence, so he assumed he was alone. Masamune descended the stairs and peeked around the corner. His father stood in the living room with his back to the large picture window. His father had one hand on his hip and the other held a cordless phone to his ear. "She said she wasn't coming back, and that this time she meant it. But she didn't pack or anything." Masamune silently prayed that his father wouldn't notice his eavesdropping, for he had a knack for knowing whenever Masamune would be in the corner, silently listening. Just then, a mass of bullets came piercing through the window, like a swarm of vicious bees, forcing his father to succumb to their lethal sting. Masamune pried the phone out of his quickly dying father's hand and used it to call an ambulance. He was too in shock to be phased by anything. The paramedics arrived, and the police with them. Not long after the officers arrived, an important looking fat man showed up with a scrawny, mousey boy that Masamune recognized from school. He was an underclassmen. Pretty cute. Masamune noticed the other boy staring at him, and stared back out of curiosity. An officer approached him and started asking questions, but Masamune was still watching the boy. The fat guy said something to the boy. The boy looked from Masamune's dead father, to Masamune, and back a few times. He watched that scrawny kid run outside, and had a pretty good view out of the now mostly-shattered picture window as the boy threw up in the bushes._

The golden early morning light spilled through his bedroom window and woke Masamune. His eyelids flickered open and he glanced over at his alarm clock. He still had another twenty minutes of sleep. So he lay there, half asleep, thinking about how warm and cozy he was and… _Oh. Shit. That's right. Onodera's here too._ Masamune turned to look over at Ritsu. He admired the way his chest rose and fell with every breath, and the placid look on his face. _I know I flirt with him sometimes, but its usually just to see his flustered reaction. But know that I've worked with him for a month and I know him a little better, I'm starting to wonder if I have feelings for Onodera. I wonder if I have a chance._ Ritsu must've felt he was being watched, because he woke up abruptly and let out a loud "AAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEE!" before launching himself backwards off the bed. Masamune stifled a laugh. "Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?"

"How _the fuck_ did I get here?" Ritsu asked, standing up off the floor.

"I carried you back from Kisa's. You're welcome." Masamune sat up in bed and yawned.

" _Why?"_

"Kisa asked me to get you. So I did."

"I meant, _why the fuck am_ _I_ _in bed with_ _you_?"

"Look, princess, it was either I stuck you in bed with me so you wouldn't be a human popsicle out in the living room, or I stick my hand down your pants to get your keys to put you in your apartment." Masamune got up and walked over to Ritsu.

Ritsu blushed and rolled his eyes. "Reminds me of those questions kids would ask each other back in elementary school; 'Would you rather jump in a pool full of sharks or a pit full of alligators?' "

Masamune chuckled and got closer to Ritsu. "So what did you pick? The sharks or the alligators?"

Ritsu started down the hallway. He turned his head so he could answer Masamune. "I prefer to stay away from carnivorous predators if I can help it." The door closed softly and Ritsu was gone. Masamune couldn't help but smile softly to himself.

Back in his own apartment, Ritsu sighed heavily and sat down on his couch. He flipped on the tv to check the news. A pretty young woman in a sunny yellow pantsuit was standing in front of a train station. _His_ train station. He could see caution tape and the flash of lights from police cruisers. The woman stated, " _Due to unforeseen circumstances, this station will be closed until further notice. Stay tuned to-"_ Ritsu turned off the tv. _Great_. The other train station nearest to him was half an hour away on foot, so Ritsu decided to use his own mode of transportation. It was just as well, Ritsu was still terribly embarrassed from his encounter with Masamune, and he'd just about die if he had to endure the long, awkward train ride with him. So Ritsu began his morning routine. He showered, picked out a business casual outfit, made a quick breakfast of a bagel and coffee, grabbed his equipment, and headed for the parking lot.

And who should Ritsu run into in the elevator but the one, the only, Takano Masamune?

"Did you hear about the trains? I'd be more than happy to give you a ride." Takano smiled devilishly.

Ritsu flinched. _Something about that smile…_ "No thank you. I have my own way of getting to work."

"Oh, you drive?" Masamune asked with genuine curiosity.

"Nope." Ritsu replied, staring blankly ahead at the doors of the elevator. The remainder of their ride down was composed entirely of awkward silence, and felt like the longest of Ritsu's life.

The two men each went towards their individual rides. Masamune reached his car first, and stopped by the driver's side door, watching Ritsu to see which vehicle he would get into. Masamune's jaw dropped when he saw his goody-two-shoes partner straddling a shiny, black, motorcycle. Ritsu put on his helmet and revved the engine twice. He kicked up the kickstand and coasted over to where Masamune stood, bewildered. Ritsu put his leg out to stabilize the bike and lifted up the visor on his full-face helmet. Ritsu smiled. "I told you I didn't drive." And with that, Ritsu slid his visor down and took off for work. Masamune got into his car and started it up. _There certainly is a lot we don't know about each other._ And for the first time in a while, he felt excited to go to work.


	5. Chapter 5

(( Hey guys. Ronnie, your humble author here! I read a bad review on Tumblr a couple weeks ago and I'm pretty sensitive so it messed me up for a little while. But then I realized that the best way to spite that anon would be to continue writing this story, so here you go, guys! Oh, and by the way, I'm planning on doing a short little spin off/side story about the Erotica guys in this au. And I got a couple plot bunnies for some glorious Nostalgia oneshot fluff that I might get working on soon… ))

Once he had arrived at work, Ritsu was informed by a clerk that his presence was needed in the morgue. When the clerk walked away, Ritsu realized that in the past month that he'd been employed at this precinct, he hadn't needed to go anywhere near the morgue, so he hadn't the faintest idea where it was in that large station. Much to his own embarrassment, he flagged down a different clerk who was passing by to ask for directions. The clerk walked him to the most depressing wing of the whole precinct. Ritsu gave the clerk a polite goodbye wave before walking down that unnerving hallway with trepidation. He opened what he hoped was the correct door and entered the room.

The lighting was exceedingly bright in contrast to the dim hallway, and Ritsu found himself squinting in the sudden light. The morgue gave off a very cold and clinical vibe, and Ritsu could not wait to leave. But when his eyes adjusted, he noticed the unmistakable form of a human body under a white sheet, which lay atop a metal gurney in the center of the room, like a sort of grotesque centerpiece. On one side of the dead body stood Masamune, arms crossed loosely across his chest and a distant look in his eyes. Standing opposite him was Chief Isaka, hands stuffed in his pockets, chatting up a man at the head of the corpse that Ritsu hadn't met before.

This stranger had a mop of dark brown hair and a pristine white lab coat with a breast pocket full of pens. But what was odd about this stranger was the chipper smile on his face. _How could anybody be happy working in a place like this?_ Ritsu decided to stand at the foot of the corpse and silently hoped that he wouldn't have to make many trips down to the morgue. His train of thought was disturbed when his unidentified coworker made eye contact with him. "Oh, hello." The stranger said, smiling at him from across the corpse. Suddenly, all sets of eyes were on him, and Ritsu swallowed nervously. He was about to speak, when the other man followed up his previous comment. "You must be Detective Onodera. I'm Mino Kanade, the coroner. Kisa's told me some good things about you." Ritsu smiled a little. _This guy doesn't seem so bad after all._ "Now that Onodera is here, would you like to commence the briefing, Mino?" Isaka said, gesturing to the cadaver before them. Mino chuckled, "Yes, right. Sorry, Isaka-san."

"What we have here", Mino said, whipping the sheet off the deceased, "is a dead body." Isaka frowned slightly. "We can see that, Mino, but what else can you tell us?"

Mino nodded, "Well, here it goes. I'm sure you are all aware of the subway delays this morning? I present to you the cause. This man apparently had an urgent date with the third rail."

Isaka stared down at the body. "Do we know if he fell, jumped, or what?"

"We know some, but not a lot. We can't know if he jumped quite yet until the footage of the train station has been analyzed, and it certainly doesn't help that I have no clue who he is."

"You mean he's unidentified?" Ritsu asked tentatively.

Mino nodded solemnly, but his smile was still there. "These were the contents of the deceased's pockets." He passed a couple evidence bags to Masamune, who stared at them for a moment before passing them to Ritsu. _Its surreal how a person's life can be reduced to a ticket stub, 200¥, and a scrap of notebook paper._ He looked at the items for a minute longer, as if waiting for them to give up their secrets, then passed the evidence carefully to Isaka. Isaka eyed the contents then remarked, "No phone? No wallet? Just this junk?" He scoffed and unceremoniously passed the evidence bags back to Mino.

"Do you know anything else, Mino? Anything at all?" Masamune asked, his tone full of concerned curiosity.

Mino sighed and put the evidence on a table behind him. "Our victim is… 'hot off the press', if you will. I haven't had the chance to conduct a proper examination. But here's what I can tell you now: male, mid-late 20s, faint bruising on knuckles, cheek, and torso. Possible indicators of an altercation."

"Thanks, Mino. Please tell me more as soon as you know." Isaka waved and left the room. Masamune followed shortly behind him. Ritsu was about to leave, too, when Mino caught him by the wrist and whispered to him, " _Best of luck, Ricchan_." Ritsu turned, quizzically, to ask Mino for clarification, but Mino had already disappeared into a back room.

Ritsu near-sprinted out of the morgue, partially to escape the intimidating feeling of that room, and partially to catch up to Masamune. He caught up to Masamune at their desks, and announced, almost out of breath, "...Takano-san, I was thinking...maybe I…could get some people...to analyze the subway...station security footage...and...check the local missing...persons database." Masamune cocked an eyebrow, feeling curious and pleasantly surprised. "Go for it, Onodera. Its nice to see you take initiative." Ritsu smiled in relief and replied, "I won't let you down." Ritsu was so eager to get to work, he jogged down the aisle of desks, and promptly, literally, ran into a file clerk. Upon impact, she dropped the large stack of files, which sent manila folders spilling across the floor. Masamune laughed heartily as an embarrassed and flushed Ritsu scrambled to gather up all the files. His laugh cut off abruptly, however, when he noticed how the pretty, girlish clerk blushed profusely when her hands brushed those of the naive, handsome detective during the hand-off of folders. And it was very much to Masamune's inexplicable chagrin when Ritsu smiled warmly at her as she bid farewell.

Late that afternoon, Ritsu approached Masamune's desk, paperwork in hand and a disheartened look upon his face. Masamune had been resting with his feet upon his desk, but he quickly withdrew them and sat normally when he saw how disappointed Ritsu seemed. "What's the trouble?" Masamune asked coolly, gesturing to the paperwork. Ritsu sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, unaware of how attractive he seemed in that moment. "Well, no one of our victim's description is missing, according to the database. And the security footage from the station is black and white and grainy. I couldn't really make much out of it. Maybe you'd like to review it and tell me what you think?" Masamune nodded and took the paperwork. "If you bring me the tapes, I'll get the av cart, and we can look at them together. Two sets of eyes are better than one."

The two men had set the av cart up in an out-of-the-way corner, and had spent the past hour or so watching the security tapes intently. "Wait!" Masamune shouted, making Ritsu slam the pause button on the remote. "Do you see that blur in the left-hand corner? Rewind it." Ritsu complied, and squinted at two blurry shapes in the corner. Ritsu hit play, and the detectives watched, eyes wide, as the unidentified victim met his untimely demise. Ritsu gasped. "How did I miss that? It was right there!" Ritsu tangled his fingers in his hair and whisper-shouted, " _He was pushed!"_

Masamune exhaled sharply. "You saw that, right? The perp tried to make it look like our guy got bumped onto the tracks by the crowd." Ritsu shivered, "Oh, shit." Masamune stepped over to his desk and picked up the phone. "Tell Isaka that Detectives Takano and Onodera need to see him in his office. _Now_." Masamune slammed the receiver down and slumped in his chair.

"So, you have reason to believe that it's murder?" Isaka said, tapping his pen lightly on his desk as he spoke. "Yes. And I'd like to follow up with Mino-san, I need to see if he's figured anything else out." Masamune said, standing on the opposite side of Isaka's desk. Isaka laughed and smacked his desk. "Well alright then! Looks like you two have yourselves an investigation." The detectives bowed briskly before leaving the office.

"Its time to go. I'll see you tomorrow." Ritsu said quietly to Masamune and made his way to the elevator, only to find Masamune right behind him. "I need to go the parking garage too, idiot." Ritsu mumbled a half-hearted caustic comment, and the detectives descended to the parking garage. When they were by their vehicles, coincidentally parked near each other, Masamune glanced up at the cement ceiling of the garage and said, "I miss looking up at night and seeing the stars." It was now cold enough outside that Masamune's breath was visible. He laughed derisively and looked over at Ritsu. Ritsu looked back at Masamune, confused. "I thought you grew up in the city." Masamune turned so they were facing each other.

"Remember how I told you my old man got murdered? Yeah, well, my mother was the one who did it. She left the house, got in the car, drove by the house, and shot when she saw his silhouette in the window. I was the one who found him, and I called the cops. The icing on the cake is that the chief came, and he brought his kid with him. Don't know why. The kid puked in the yard. When the investigation was over, I went to live with my grandma in the sticks." Masamune laughed sardonically. The color ran out of Ritsu's face. "Would you believe me if I said ten years ago, my father brought me to a crime scene, and I, well, got sick?" The two men stared at each other, frozen. "I knew that I knew you from somewhere. But I didn't think it was...from then. Fuck, that's weird!"

Masamune slammed his fist on the roof of his car. There was a long, palpably awkward pause, before the detectives broke down into belly laughter at the absurdity of the situation. Masamune, in the midst of laughing, managed, "This is just so... I gotta…" Masamune pulled Ritsu closer, one hand was on the small of his back, the other cupped the back of his head. Masamune kissed Ritsu softly and chastely on the lips. Ritsu didn't resist at first, but he soon pulled away with a shout of "Shit...fuck...Takano-san, I can't.." And with that, Ritsu put on his helmet, got on motorcycle, and sped away, leaving Masamune alone in the dark of the parking garage.


End file.
